6. Area-Based Deprivation and Geography

i. Summary of Scottish Survey Core Questions 2015
Data

This section provides an overview of area-based deprivation and
geography for lesbian, gay, bisexual and other adults. It provides
some key statistics from the
SSCQ
2015 data and then a brief overview of the literature on sexual
orientation, area based deprivation and geography.

The Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation
[14] (
SIMD)
allows Scotland's data zones to be split into five quintiles,
ordered by deprivation and each containing 20 per cent of the data
zones. A data zone is a small area statistical geography,
containing on average around 760 people. Figure 13 shows the
proportion of LGBO people who lived in each of these quintiles, and
shows that a greater proportion of the LGBO group lived in the most
deprived quintile (27 per cent compared with 19 per cent of
heterosexual adults). This difference was not explained by the
differing ages of the groups, with 25 per cent of LGBO adults
living in the most deprived quintile (compared with 19 per cent of
heterosexual adults) when age is taken into account. Conversely, a
smaller percentage of LGBO adults lived in the least deprived
quintile (14 per cent compared with 20 per cent of heterosexual
adults).

Figure 14: Urban /Rural Areas by Sexual Orientation -
Scotland 2015

Source: Scottish Surveys Core Questions

Geographic areas in Scotland can also be classified into urban
and rural categories, ranging from 'Large Urban Area' to 'Remote
Rural'. Figure 14 shows that a higher proportion of LGBO adults
lived in Large Urban areas (50 per cent compared with 35 per cent
of Heterosexual adults). Heterosexual adults were more likely than
the LGBO group to live in 'other urban areas' and 'accessible rural
areas'.

ii. Summary of Literature on Sexual Orientation and
Geography

A greater proportion of
LGB people live
in the most deprived areas in Scotland. Appropriate access to
social housing services may be a factor as to why this is the case.
For example, there is a perception of discrimination by
LGB people in
relation to social housing provision whereby 27 per cent of
LGB people in
Scotland expected to be discriminated against by housing officers
(Stonewall Scotland, 2014 in Hudson-Sharp and Metcalf, 2016: 92).
The subsequent reluctance of
LGB people to
disclose their sexual orientation may also mean that they are
placed into communities which are not able to provide the services
they require (Hudson-Sharp and Metcalf, 2016: 92).

However, the Scottish Social Attitudes (
SSA)
Survey showed that those living in deprived areas in Scotland were
no more likely to think that equal opportunities had gone too far
for lesbian and gay people than those in the least deprived areas
(Scottish Government, 2016: 62). This suggests that there are
similar levels of acceptance of lesbian and gay people in both
deprived and non-deprived areas.

A review of the
UK Household Longitudinal
Study found no statistically significant differences between
LGB people and
heterosexual people in the
UK in 2011/12 in relation
to being in poverty (Uhrig, 2015). However, the review did find
that in 2011/12 bisexual people were more likely to be behind in
paying bills (12.3 per cent of bisexual people were behind with
some or all household bills, compared with 5.3 per cent of
heterosexual people) and to claim income support (6.2 per cent of
bisexual people claimed income support compared with 3.5 per cent
of heterosexual people). Gay men were more likely to claim benefits
than heterosexual men (4.7 per cent claimed income support compared
to 2.2 per cent of heterosexual men) (Uhrig, 2015: 28-29).

Life in rural areas has been highlighted in some research as
being particularly isolating for
LGB people. For
example, in Scotland, more
LGBT
respondents found living in rural areas to be bad or very bad (24
per cent) than living in urban areas (12 per cent) (Equality
Network, 2015: 62). This was due to factors such as others'
attitudes towards them (including verbal and physical attacks),
poor service provision for
LGBT
people and a lack of
LGBT
communities with which to socialise. For
LGBT young
people in Scotland, 27.1 per cent living in rural areas described
their location as a good place to live, compared with 67.7 per cent
of those living in urban areas (
LGBT
Youth, 2015a: 7).
LGBT Youth
(2015b: 9) also cited that 56.3 per cent of those living in rural
areas in Scotland felt accepted in their own families, compared
with 74.8 per cent of those in urban areas.

Respondents describe having to leave rural areas in Scotland
either temporarily or permanently so 'I can be myself' (Equality
Network, 2015). For example,
LGBT
Health and Wellbeing (2016: 28) highlight the lack of
LGBT
community in Fife and the resulting isolation that some
LGBT
people living in the area feel. 28 per cent of
LGBT
people in Fife have rare or no contact with other
LGBT
people in their area, with 61 per cent stating that this is due to
the limited opportunities to meet up with people socially.

Community is important to the mental health of
LGB people in the
UK, with Hudson-Sharp and
Metcalf (2016) citing a study where 74 per cent of
LGB respondents
reported that being part of an
LGB community was
good for their mental health (Formby, 2012, in Hudson-Sharp and
Metcalf, 2016: 47). Better access to the community also helps to
reduce social isolation.
LGBT Youth
(2015b: 8) also showed links between young
LGBT
people in Scotland feeling accepted in their community and levels
of mental health (67 per cent with mental health problems for those
who did not feel accepted by their community compared with 31 per
cent with mental health problems for those that did). In 2011/12,
gay men were more likely to live alone (37 per cent) than
heterosexual men (14 per cent) (although lesbians were just as
likely as heterosexual women to live by themselves) (Uhrig, 2015:
36), suggesting that access to social groups is important.

Accessing services from rural areas can also be challenging,
with 59 per cent of
LGBT
respondents having to travel to other areas to access
LGBT
services. Addressing and challenging prejudice experienced by
LGBT
people in rural areas is argued to be necessary (Equality Network,
2015: 68).

Access to the community may be one reason why a higher
proportion of LGBO people lived in urban areas. The latest figures
showed that half of all LGBO people lived in large urban areas.